


Claw at the Moon

by HushTheNoise



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Baggage, Hurt/Comfort, Isa hurts, Lea comforts, M/M, Nightmares and Magic, Sea Salt Family, details inside, lots of guilt, mentions of trauma, strong emotions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 08:16:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17915174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HushTheNoise/pseuds/HushTheNoise
Summary: Sometimes late at night, the shadows twist the knives still embedded in their hearts.Isa wakes up in Berserker mode, leaving Lea to help him through it.





	Claw at the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> This one comes from an idea sent in on Tumblr. Hope you like it, anon! Light KH3 spoilers.

It wasn’t so much a sound that roused Lea as a _feeling_. A sickening dread gripped the strings of his consciousness and yanked until he awoke all at once, heart hammering in his ribcage. He sat up, gaze scanning the dark bedroom in alarm as his arm extended, ready to summon his Keyblade. But the threat never manifested and Lea sighed, wondering if it was just another anxious nightmare.

Even now, months after the battle at the Keyblade Graveyard, Lea sometimes found himself waking up on high alert, heart pounding and sweat-drenched. Every memory was still too vivid; the knowledge that they could die at any moment, the realization that he was still too weak to protect his friends, the anguish of watching Isa disintegrate in his arms… It made for some bad nights, though he was starting to learn to navigate them.

But no… this didn’t feel like that.

Even as he willed himself to relax, the dread only deepened until he was forced to his feet, combing a hand through his sleep-mussed crimson hair as he strode out the door into the rest of the remodeled mansion that he and the others now called home.

The manor was quiet, no signs of light or unrest coming from beneath Roxas, Xion, and Naminé’s doors as Lea walked silently about, inspecting every shadowy corner. They were all still dealing with remnants of their trauma since the day they were reunited, but for tonight, at least, they were thankfully at peace.

Still…Something wasn’t right.

And then he felt it. A low hum, imperceptible but present, set his teeth on edge and Lea followed it down a corridor towards the last room in the house.

As he turned the corner, a menacing purple haze spilled from beneath the door on the far end. Lea broke into a run.

 _FuckFuck_ **_Fuck!_ ** he cursed with each step until he reached Isa’s door, scrambling to turn the handle and push his way into the room.

The door swung open to reveal a figure bathed in an indigo glow sitting up on the bed, piercing yellow eyes staring into nothing as a wild wind whipped at his blue hair, despite the closed windows. His teeth were clenched, jaw tense and fingers digging into the bed sheet beneath him, tearing into it as he drew in rapid, labored breaths.

“Isa!” Lea cried, bracing himself against the immense waves of power that wafted off Isa. “You have to snap out of it!” The energy in the room seemed to push him bodily against the wall, and Lea could see blue fire flowing beneath Isa’s skin, threatening to consume his friend from the inside out.

Master Yen Sid believed Isa had the potential to be a powerful mage, his raw power burning brightly beneath that cool demeanor. But whatever the darkness had done to him —whatever _Xehanort_ had done to him— caused instability, the magic in him surging forward to protect him against the pain that lingered. Lea had seen it before in moments when the world grew too overwhelming for him and Isa’s magic flared, icy and sharp. But he’d never seen Isa like this, not in his sleep. Not in the few quiet moments he was allowed in his life.

Lea couldn’t even begin to fathom what sort of nightmarish shadows Isa struggled with now, but he needed to chase them away.

Isa hunched over on the bed, knuckles white as he struggled to hold on to himself. Lea had noticed it the first few times; Isa never lashed out, never threatened to hurt him or the kids. The magic was only a threat to himself, the trauma weaponizing his guilt into a sharp blade turned against him. It was agonizing to see his friend still suffering for the mistakes Lea made, for all the signs he missed or ignored.

Lea pushed through the waves of raw magic, thick like tar, and made his way towards the bed.

“Isa, you have to fight it, don’t let it take you!” he said, hoping his voice would get through and bring him out of the nightmare plane. He knew this wasn’t sustainable; if it went on for much longer, Isa could burn out. And he couldn’t… he wouldn’t lose him. Not again. Not this time.

A guttural scream tore itself from Isa’s throat, shaking the very foundation of the massive house. Indigo flames flared around him, anger, fear, and guilt stuffed into a single tormented cry. The sound paralyzed Lea as the pain in Isa’s voice clawed through him, wiping all thoughts, all misgivings, all fear from his mind.

Lea launched himself at the bed, and every muscle ached with the effort of fighting through the magic trying to keep him at bay. He folded his arms around Isa, pulling him tightly against his chest even as the other man struggled to break free, the icy magic burning in Isa’s veins. Lea could feel it too, the energy pressed against him, between them, trying to find the cracks through which to wedge itself and divide them. He gripped Isa more tightly, his own fire burning within, pushing against the chill.

He’d failed Isa over and over again, abandoned his friend when it became too hard to drag the past around with him. When it became too painful to remember.

Never again.

He closed his eyes, ice pressing against his skin like spikes that never quite broke through.

“Isa,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against his friend’s, the other half of his heart. “Come back to me.”

A heartbeat, then two, then five, and the magic retreated, slowly folding into itself and settling within Isa once more. The air thinned and the pressure lessened, calm settling like a blanket over the bones of the old mansion.

He felt the tension in Isa drain, hands releasing the bed sheet as Isa slumped in Lea’s arms with a gasp for breath, tears flowing from eyes too tightly shut.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Isa sobbing quietly in his arms, exhausted, alive and filled with all the anguish the word implied.

“I’m here,” Lea whispered over and over, a mantra as Isa shook in his arms. “I’ve got you. You’re okay. I’m here. I’m here. I’m here.”

Lea felt arms wrap around him, fingers clinging to his shirt. “I’m sorry,” said Isa voicelessly, and Lea could only cling tighter to him, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“I know,” he said quietly. “So am I. I won’t leave you again, I promise. So don’t you leave me.”

Isa exhaled a shuddering breath. “I won’t.” His voice broke again. “It hurts, Lea.”

“It does,” said Lea quietly, leaning back to carefully smooth Isa’s sweat-soaked hair away from his face. “A heart’s a heavy burden.”

“Is he alright?” came a soft voice from the doorway, and Lea looked to see Naminé at the bedroom door, Roxas and Xion behind her as they peered into the bedroom with concern.

“He will be,” said Lea, knowing in his heart it was true. “Go back to bed, you have school tomorrow.”

Naminé nodded, turning to usher her friends away from the door and back to their respective bedrooms as they uttered a soft chorus of “Goodnight” and “Feel better, Isa”.

Lea still marveled at how easily they accepted Isa as a comforting presence in their little household, treating him with the same empathy and affection they treated each other. They had all been victims, and they knew they all deserved a new chance at the life that had been stolen from them the first time around. Those kids were better representations of true humanity than anyone he’d ever known.

“Come on,” said Lea as he gently coaxed Isa to lay back and relax, swinging his legs up onto the bed and settling next to him. Isa rolled onto his side, burrowing his face into Lea’s chest as he curled an arm over his waist.

“Thanks,” Isa whispered as his breath settled, words still few as he struggled to find them again. “Sorry.”

“You already said that,” Lea pointed out. He waited for a few beats, and then… “I think I should sleep in here for a few nights,” he suggested carefully, bracing himself for whatever answer he might get. But Isa only nodded, a gentle motion against his chest.

“Please. Stay tonight?”

“Of course.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, clinging to each other in the darkness.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on hushthenoise.tumblr.com or @hushthenoise on twitter!


End file.
